Grants were awarded to teachers at various schools in Idaho. It is always interesting to me to see what types of things result in monetary awards and other forms of kudos in the field of education. Clearly there is a group-think at work here. Unfortunately such group-think motivates people to do ridiculous things. I find this sad, given that many of these people could be motivated to do things that truly teach students what they need to belearning instead of pretending to “think like scientists and engineers”. A few examples of the grants awarded:
“Kinesthetic Learning, ($2,000) — This grant will integrate standing desks, desk peddlers and balance boards to allow students to move comfortably so they stay engaged, focused and on-task.
“Applied Math & Writing ($2,500) — The goal of this project is to have students apply concepts of the algebra, geometry and writing learned in 8th grade math to a proven year-end summative project by producing high-quality wind chimes.
“Animal Allies/First Lego League, ($965) — First Lego League (FLL) provides opportunities for students to think like scientists and engineers and is designed to get them excited about STEM subjects.”
traditional math 